Page 97 of Roberto

I also didn’t want to threaten outing him, Gota, or Xi to the authorities. That was the quickest route to a shallow grave.

Whatever I chose for leverage would need to inflict maximum damage on Lau or his property.

I had something in mind, but it would be expensive and difficult to obtain.

However, I was fairly sure both things I needed – the gun and the second item – could be purchased on the black market.

The problem was I had no contacts in Hong Kong’s organized crime scene.

I had no idea who to approach nor any way to find them.

Not to mention that no black market dealer would trust a stranger asking for what I wanted.

Therefore, I needed someone to make introductions and vouch for me.

But how could I get the contacts I needed?

I figured De Sade was the answer.

Mei-ling’s club operated on the very fringe of legality. Ithadto.

Hong Kong’s vice laws were incredibly strict. Although there might nottechnicallybe paid sex inside De Sade – at least not between customers and employees – I didn’t think the authorities would consider being whipped for money all that different from prostitution.

Which meant Mei-ling probably bribed the cops so she could stay in business.

She hadn’t mentioned anything about bribing the authorities, but she wouldn’t have – for the exact same reasons I hadn’t told her about my family: it would be a monumental risk. And an incredibly stupid one, at that.

When you lived the kind of life my brothers and I did, you had to be extremely careful about who you trusted.

You never knew when someone might sell you out.

A serious brush with the law could turn many a so-called friend into a Judas…

Especially if it kept them out of jail.

If my time with Mei-ling had just been a fling, there was no need to tell her about my family.

She and I would merely part ways, with her none the wiser as to what I did for a living.

But…

Itwasn’tjust a fling.

That much was certain.

And if I wanted to keep her in my life, I would need to be honest about what she was getting involved in.

I figured telling the truth might convince her she could trust me –

And, in turn, she might provide me with the local connections I needed.

In my experience, those who bribed the police also had contacts in the criminal underworld. Fellow travelers and all that.

It was certainly true ofmyfamily. Even though we avoided many illegal activities, we knew who all the big players were in Italy.

Even if Mei-ling was only bribing cops, there was an excellent chance she knew members of Hong Kong’s organized crime scene.

Either that or she hadsomesort of connection. Maybe one of her clients could put me in touch with the right person.

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